Electoral Act 1992

Each candidate for an election for an electoral district may, by notice sent to the returning officer for the electoral district, appoint adult persons as scrutineers.

Scrutineers are entitled to be present in each ordinary polling booth, mobile polling booth and pre-poll voting office at times when electors are allowed to vote at the place.

Scrutineers are also entitled to be present—

beforehand at polling places for the purpose of—

inspecting ballot boxes; and

the examination of declaration envelopes received before 6p.m. the day before polling day; and

afterwards at polling places and elsewhere to observe the examination of declaration envelopes, the printing of completed ballot papers for electronically assisted votes and the counting of votes; and

at a place to observe any part of a procedure for making an electronically assisted vote.

At a polling place during times when electors are allowed to vote and beforehand, each candidate is entitled to have 1 scrutineer present for each issuing officer at the place.

At the examination of declaration envelopes and the counting of votes, including electronically assisted votes, each candidate is entitled to have 1 scrutineer present for each member of the commission’s staff at the place.

A scrutineer may—

object to the entitlement of a person to vote at the election; or

record details of electors who vote at the election, and take the record out of the polling place; or

do anything else permitted by this Act.

Issuing officers at a polling place must, before voting starts, allow scrutineers for candidates to inspect the ballot boxes that are to be used for voting at the place.

Each scrutineer must carry adequate identification to show that the person is a scrutineer.